Ninety-five percent of employers surveyed by the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) say their organization is conducting employment background screening in 2018.

The NAPBS survey, How Human Resource Professionals View the Use and Effectiveness of Background Screening Methods, found that 86% of respondents say they are screening all full-time employees (a slight increase from 83% in 2017), and 68% are including part-time employees in the screening process.

The top reason for conducting background checks remained public safety, with 86% of employers saying they conduct background checks to protect employees, customers and others. Other top reasons for background screening included:

• Improving quality of hires – 52%
• Law/regulation requirements – 39%
• Preventing or reducing theft, embezzlement, and other criminal activity – 36%

Strategies or programs most frequently used in job applicants’ background screening include:

• County/Statewide Criminal Searches – 89%
• Database/National Criminal Searches  – 84%
• Social Security Number Trace – 83%
• Sex Offender Registry Search – 69%
• Fingerprint-Based Criminal Searches – 53%
• Drug and Alcohol Testing – 45%
• Motor Vehicle Driving Records Searches – 40%
• Education Verification – 31%
• Professional License Verification –21%
• Credit/Financial Checks – 16%
• International Checks – 12%
• Social Media Search – 8%